Scholarships important to ACTC students

Ashland Community and Technical College is continuing its 80th anniversary celebration
by recognizing the Community and Technical College Foundation of Ashland Inc., which
just turned 23 years old in November.

The foundation’s main goal is to administer scholarships to students, both incoming
freshmen right out of high school as well as non-traditional students.

On Nov. 17, the foundation recognized its many donors during a Celebration of Philanthropy
breakfast.

“You all have been a great support in that mission. Literally hundreds of students
have attended this college who would not have been able to do so without the support
of scholarships and other benefits that have been made possible through the foundation
of the community college,” he said. “And these folks go on to attend other institutions
and other careers that are fulfilling to themselves and are a great benefit to their
families.”

Three scholarship recipients also spoke about how important receiving scholarships
was to them.

Courtney Queen, a 2017 graduate of Russell High School, received an incoming freshman
scholarship and is working toward her Associate in Science degree. She plans to apply
to optometry school upon graduating from ACTC.

“This scholarship has already helped me tremendously,” Queen said. “I’m getting my
full schooling paid for right now, so I can save back any money I’m working for with
my job. This scholarship allows me to have a transfer scholarship, so when I transfer
to Pikeville, it will lower my tuition cost a lot.”

Queen said she had always thought about going away to a four-year university with
her friends right out of high school, but began to realize it made more sense to say
close to home.

“It wasn’t until my senior when I really considered it,” she said. “It makes sense
to stay here. Why would I not stay here and go for free my first few years and save
up all kinds of money to help me in the future.”

She said while some of her friends are already racking up student loan debt, she feels
relieved to not be in that position.

“I love this school. I love my teachers. I definitely recommend anyone who is still
in high school to stay here for as long as they can.”

Michael and Jan Blair are non-traditional students who were able to begin their education
at ACTC thanks to scholarships. The newlyweds are also work studies employed in the
admissions office and the advancement office, respectively.

Michael received a Kentucky Power Scholarship and will be graduating this December
with his Associate in Arts degree. He has already been accepted into the social work
program at Morehead State University and will go on to earn his master’s degree at
Western Kentucky University.

“This scholarship has kept me from applying for more loans,” he said. “Me and my wife
are both full-time students and work part-time here. We have five children, so it
is a full-time job all the time. In my past, I’d never seen an education, really.
I never thought I would get this far with an education and you all have helped tremendously
with that. One day I hope I can give back to society like you all have and hopefully
I can help other students the way you all have.”

Jan is also working toward her Associate in Arts degree so she can major in social
work and chemical dependency counseling and also receive her master’s degree. Like
her husband, Jan also said she never thought a higher education was possible.

“I come from a really rough past,” she said. “Addiction and abuse was in my life for
many years, so to be able to stand in front of you all today clean and sober with
an education, that’s just a world of difference. I try everyday to make a difference
and I want to better the lives of the people around me. I want to obtain an education
to better my children’s lives and show them how important it is to get an education.

“I don’t believe I would have been able to do that if it wasn’t for the scholarships
and the loans and the people here supporting me. I’m so grateful to be able to speak
in front of you all and tell you thank you for helping me obtain an education, because
I never thought it was possible. You all touch many lives every day and I’m so grateful
to be a part of that.”

One of the donors present also spoke about what motivated him to give to the foundation.
Neil Wilson established the Susan Wilson Memorial Scholarship earlier this year in
honor of his late wife. He said he was inspired to do so after talking to a young
woman who served him in a local restaurant, who was also a student at ACTC.

“I thought, ‘How in the world does she do this? Go to school and she works so hard,’”
Wilson said.

The woman told Wilson that she had to take out loans to go to school, but that she
was almost ready to graduate.

“I thought, ‘What can I do to help?’ And I didn’t say anything to her,” Wilson said.
“I called ACTC until I found the right people in the cashier’s office and I paid her
loan. She found out about it, but way later. And I thought that felt so good that
I would just go ahead and set up a scholarship. We’ve got two students who are in
their first year here. Full tuition, fees and books paid for.”

Willie McCullough, dean of resource development and external affairs, said 192 scholarships
were awarded this fall. She also spoke about some of the projects the foundation undertook
over the past 23 years.

Some of those projects are three major gifts campaigns, four golf scrambles, establishment
of the Young Women LEAD and Young Men’s conferences, establishment of the Fred Charles
Student Emergency Fund, which helps students with unexpected medical bills, utilities
or other hardships, and the construction of the Guy and Lisa Spriggs Child Development
Center.